Survival of the nation vital

Survival of the nation vital

From Rakyat Merdeka

As the political squabbles between the President and the House of Representatives are heating up, the country's economic condition has gone from bad to worse, characterized by a drop in the exchange value of the rupiah against the U.S. dollar, soaring prices of daily necessities, a 50 percent to 100 percent hike in fuel prices (even the LPG will also rise in price) and intensification of tax collection as well as broadening scope of tax subjects and objects.

As a result, my salary, which is my only source of income, has become all the more meaningless.

Yet, I thank God that I have a regular salary because millions of my fellow countrymen are not as lucky as I am. They do not have a regular salary and live in financial uncertainty.

When I think of the condition our country is in now, I'm tempted to liken it to the phenomenon of "boiling a frog". The frog will survive while being boiled because, temporarily, it can adjust itself to the temperature of the water. At the boiling point, however, it can no longer survive and thus becomes a boiled frog.

Bear in mind that a human being is not a frog!

At present the people may still survive despite all the difficulties they have to go through. Some day, however, when this plight becomes unbearable, we do not know whether the people will go the way of a boiled frog or involve themselves in anarchic social turmoil. I don't know which will happen and I also don't want to imagine it. I just hope that there will be no recurrence of the social turmoil that took place in 1965-1966.

As a layman, I can only request our leaders to take responsibility for the survival of this nation and this state. I don't care who leads this country. What matters to me, and to the ordinary people in general, is that life returns to normal and the people can feel secure, comfortable and prosperous in this country.

ADI PRESETIO

Padang, West Sumatra